Olympic audience skews older; Visa most recognized sponsor

Out of the 65 percent of American adults who plan to watch the Sochi Olympics, most will be over 55 years of age, while the 18- to 34-year-old demographic will make up the smallest fraction of the adult audience, according to research by Repucom.

Repucom reports that 37 percent of adults polled that are 55 and over said they plan to watch the Winter Games, while just 31 percent of those between 18 and 34 said the same. This is typical, as the average Olympic viewer is slightly older than the average sports fan.

The most-watched event is expected to be figure skating, followed by ski jumping, speedskating, bobsledding, alpine skiing and snowboarding.

Visa is overwhelmingly the most-recognized Olympic sponsor, which may be attributed to a slightly older audience according to Repucom. Forty-nine percent of people in the U.S. were able to identify Visa as an Olympic partner, with Coca-Cola coming in second at 7 percent. McDonald’s was third with 4 percent.